Two million weddings take place in the United States every year, but they are a truly international event. From the ring to the cake, from the chairs to the flowers and the dress, all of these items are affected by import tariffs.
Even those carefully produced in the United States can contain multiple components from around the world.
President Donald Trump’s trade agenda is not helping the average cost of an American wedding, which has increased 18% in the last five years, reaching US$33,000, according to The Knot, a global wedding planning and supplier marketplace.
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Suppliers are “forced to make difficult decisions about whether to absorb increased costs or adjust their prices, all while maintaining the level of service and quality their customers expect,” said Raina Moskowitz, CEO of The Knot Worldwide.
One in five vendors have increased their costs due to tariffs, according to The Knot, and 33% of engaged couples say they are concerned about price increases.
The Dress
After the bride, the dress is the star of the show.
Wedding dresses cost around US$2,100 (R$11,200), according to The Knot, and are often ordered and paid for more than a year in advance. This means that by the time the dress arrives (usually shipped from overseas), tariff rates can change.
“That dress that we agreed a price with the store for is suddenly costing 30%, 40% more,” said Justin Alexander, president of the Justin Alexander Wedding Dresses brand, with 79 years of history.
The family business sells 70,000 dresses a year, 40,000 of which are sold to American brides. The company manufactures in Myanmar (40% tariff), China (20%), Vietnam (20%) and Portugal (10%).
“We have been diversifying our production away from China, but recent developments with higher tariffs in countries like Myanmar have been confusing and challenging,” Alexander said.
But the additional cost doesn’t just depend on where the dress is made. Many of the materials in a single piece, such as lace, lining and tulle, can originate from multiple countries, each with their own tariff rates.
Alexander said it would be difficult to move production of dresses and materials back to the United States due to higher labor costs and a lack of large-scale manufacturing.
The costs for brides would also end up increasing eleven to fifteen times in terms of price.
Brides interested in a Justin Alexander gown can now expect to pay 10% more.
“The price was increased because we have a tariff surcharge to compensate for the increase in tariffs, which range from 20% to 40%,” said Alexander, who said the company absorbs the remainder.
About Bolo
Wedding cake orders are usually placed later in the wedding planning process, sometimes just three weeks before the event, and can cost an average of $540, according to The Knot.
Armana Christianson is the owner and artistic baker of A. Cakes Bakery in Phoenix, Arizona. She produces 100 high-end cakes per year, which can cost between US$800 (R$4,200) and US$1,000 (R$5,300).
Christianson explained that a cake can have up to a dozen ingredients — all coming from different countries with varying tariff rates.
Therefore, it introduced a new contract to guarantee its protection against price fluctuations.
“If my prices increase by more than 5%, then I can let my customers know and potentially charge them that increase if it’s something that’s really exorbitant,” Christianson said.
She said it is confusing to keep track of all the tariff rates, which for her ingredients can be as high as 20%.
“I’m increasing and readjusting (my prices) every six months,” Christianson said. “My percentage of bookings from inquiries drops a little more each time, so I would prefer not to have to change my prices so often. It’s scary as a small business owner, this is my livelihood.”
Diamonds and precious stones
Before “I accept” comes “yes!” The engagement ring marks the official start of wedding planning.
Engagement rings currently cost an average of US$5,200 (R$27,700), according to The Knot. Jewelers report that couples are becoming increasingly creative with their rings, opting for gemstones and lab-grown diamonds, but many still seek out traditional diamonds.
Many of the stones and rings couples see in stores have likely been in the United States for at least six months. This means that current inventory is mostly tariff-free, but that inventory is rapidly decreasing.
“Consumers shopping in January 2026 will be faced with much higher prices than people shopping today,” said Ankur Daga, co-founder of Angara Jewelry, a Los Angeles-based company.
For example, a diamond solitaire ring on Angara, originating in Botswana, is subject to a 15% tariff. Gold can come from Indonesia or Chile, with tariffs of 19% and 10%, respectively, or from the USA and Canada, which may not have taxes.
Angara sources its sapphires from Sri Lanka (20% tariff), rubies from Mozambique (15% tariff), emeralds from Zambia (15%) and Colombia (10%), and opals from Australia (10%).
However, the majority of diamonds — 90% — are cut and polished in India, which has a high tariff rate of 50%. Therefore, Angara now carries out all final manufacturing for the American market in Thailand, and not in India, meaning that stones imported into the United States have a lower tariff of 19%.
Still, Daga believes that there is still a market for more affordable products.
“The tariffs will accelerate the adoption of synthetic diamonds. It is already at 57% for engagement rings. We believe that in five years, this will reach 80%,” he said.
As Flores
Flower prices can be one of the most volatile at any wedding. Eighty percent of all cut flowers are imported into the U.S., and a flower shop may sell roses at different prices from one day to the next. Adding changes in tariffs, the situation becomes complex for sellers.
“That’s been the worst part, being able to establish pricing consistency and knowing what to expect and how to protect myself and my business,” said Marie Lewis, owner of Nocturne and Bloom, a floral design studio in Los Angeles. Couples spend an average of $2,700 on flowers, according to The Knot.
A bouquet or arrangement likely has several types of flowers, each originating from different countries.
Lewis buys his from China.
“What I’ve been doing is trying to raise the prices a little more on each floral arrangement,” she said. “This ensures I’m charging appropriately for my services and materials so I don’t make a loss, but also ensuring I’m being fair to my clients.”
Venue and event design
After all the planning and anticipation, the big day arrives. The venue hosting the event can cost couples an average of US$12,000 (R$63,900), according to The Knot. Rentals cost an additional US$2,000 (R$10,600).
It’s currently peak season for the Treasury Venue Collection in St. Augustine, Florida, which runs from October through May. The company performs up to 300 weddings per year in its two units.
Treasury Venue Collection didn’t need to raise prices this year, in part because it identified where fees would impact costs the most.
This summer, the location stocked popular imported alcoholic beverages, wines and champagnes.
“Alcohol is our most vulnerable item,” said Brandy Boulette, general manager of the Treasury Venue Collection. “We didn’t necessarily have to worry about the cost of the venue changing, as it was fixed, but our bar service would definitely be impacted.”
An event venue typically provides tablecloths, chairs, glasses and cutlery, which are purchased in bulk and reused from wedding to wedding. But these items often need to be replaced due to wear and tear.
“We’re telling people right now that with anything you might be budgeting for, put some extra margin in,” Boulette said.
Some places are just empty spaces, and it’s up to the couple to bring in everything else. They often turn to event design companies like Paisley & Jade in Richmond, Virginia, who specialize in luxury rentals and custom designs, to help.
“Even building a simple bar shelf involves all these parts and components from different places,” said Morgan Montgomery, co-owner of Paisley & Jade.
A custom venue design might include pendant lights and chairs from China, or a custom cake table made with materials from New Zealand, Malaysia and Canada. And made-to-order items that aren’t already in stock come at a premium price.
“I can give you a rough estimate, but I’m not going to make a definitive commitment because my company can’t afford to take the risk of promising that I can sell this sofa for $1,200 a pop, only to find out that the rates have gone up at the time I place the order,” Montgomery said.
